A 38-year-old Greenpeace environmental activist was last night arrested for a failed stunt before Germany’s Euro 2020 opening tie against France at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
The resident of the neighbouring Baden Wurttemberg district injured two people, who were admitted to hospital, after he crashed his paraglider inside the stadium.
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What happened?
Greenpeace Germany sent a tweet before kick-off, highlighting the fact they were going to protest against Volkswagen, the German car manufacturer who are among the tournament’s official sponsors.
+++ BREAKING +++ Hey @Volkswagen, time to kick out oil! #Greenpeace activists protest against the games' sponsor at the #FRAGER-match and demand: stop selling climate-damaging diesel and petrol cars! #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/YpDxGVxzIM
— Greenpeace e.V. (@greenpeace_de) June 15, 2021
The activist intended to fly over the 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena, where a crowd of 13,000 fans were on hand amid ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, and drop a soft ball with “kick out oil” on it into the stadium.
The ball did reach its intended destination but the pilot lost control of the paraglider, injuring two men, while also forcing Didier Deschamps, France’s manager, to duck for cover.
Greenpeace activist parachuted into the Allianz Arena just before the game started – debris from his apparatus hit Didier Deschamps & Guy Stéphan but both are fine. pic.twitter.com/8hF2dWTcN6
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) June 15, 2021
Why did it go wrong?
The pilot is said to have suffered from a “technical problem”, which led to the manual throttle control failing. This meant he was forced to make an emergency landing inside the stadium.
But he collided with a steel cable on his way down, causing him to lose control of the aircraft. The electric motor powering the paraglider was claimed to be in “perfect technical condition”.
He then landed on the pitch, before being marched away by two stewards.
Were any players/staff injured?
Deschamps and his assistant, Guy Stephan, had to duck for cover near the dugouts to avoid a collision with the Greenpeace activist.
Germany’s Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger was seen helping the pilot back to his feet, as the players were out warming up at the time.
Germany’s Robin Gosens and Antonio Rudiger check in on the Greenpeace activist (Photo: Federico Gambarini/picture alliance via Getty Images)
After the match, Deschamps said: “I thought it was something planned. Yes, we were close to a tragedy. A person in the crowd was lightly injured, but it could have been much worse.
“On the bench with Guy, we tried to take refuge. I have a little bump because I hit the cover of the bench, but it’s nothing. It shouldn’t have happened.”
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Did any spectators require medical treatment?
The local police authority confirmed two men were attended to by medics inside the Allianz Arena before they were taken to the hospital for further assessments, although serious medical care wasn’t needed.
The pilot could be seen walking away with two stewards after crashing and didn’t sustain any injuries during his emergency landing.
What were they protesting against?
Greenpeace Germany’s protest was directed against Volkswagen, hence the “kick out oil” message.
They want to get the German car manufacturer to set an end-date for the production of diesel and gasoline engines.
Although this protest was aimed at Volkswagen, European football governing body UEFA has faced criticism from climate change activists for the impact Euro 2020 will have on the environment. The decision to host a pan-continental tournament will lead to national teams racking up more air miles than would normally occur if the competition was staged as normal and either hosted by one host country or co-hosted by two.
Have Greenpeace said anything?
Following the failed stunt, a spokesperson from Greenpeace Germany said it “offers a full and unreserved apology to those who were injured and impacted as a result of our protest before yesterday’s UEFA football match in Munich.
“We are seeking to verify the extent of the injuries and hope for a quick recovery for all those affected.
“A lone paragliding protestor sought to fly over the stadium to release a soft ball carrying a note of protest against VW, a sponsor of the event, calling upon the company to accelerate its phase-out of climate-wrecking petrol and diesel cars.
“The pilot was forced to land inside the stadium as a result of technical failures, which we will fully investigate.
“Greenpeace takes safety very seriously and will mount a full investigation into what went wrong. We will fully cooperate with all relevant authorities.
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“We would like to repeat our full and unreserved apology to those who were injured and impacted as a result of this accident.”
Did the local police authority comment on the arrest?
Munich’s police force released a statement on their website: “As things stand, the pilot injured two men during the landing approach. The injured were given medical care by the ambulance service and taken to hospitals for more tests. Acute medical care was not required. The pilot did not claim any injuries.
The paraglider is led away from the pitch (Photo: Franck Fife/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
“The 38-year-old resident in Baden Wurttemberg was arrested. The aircraft was secured. In this context, various offences under the criminal code and the aviation act are now being investigated.
“The Munich Police Headquarters emphasises that there is no understanding whatsoever for such irresponsible actions, in which a considerable risk to human life is accepted.”
What did UEFA say?
In a statement, UEFA said: “Shortly before the start of tonight’s match between France and Germany in Munich, a protester briefly entered the stadium from the air and tried to land on the pitch.
“This inconsiderate act — which could have had very serious consequences for a huge number of people attending — caused injuries to several people attending the game who are now in hospital and law authorities will take the necessary action.
“UEFA and its partners are fully committed to a sustainable Euro 2020 tournament and many initiatives have been implemented to offset carbon emissions. The staging of the match was fortunately not impacted by such a reckless and dangerous action, but several people were injured nonetheless.”
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(Top photo: Stefan Matzke – sampics/Corbis via Getty Images)
Dan Sheldon is a football news reporter for The Athletic, covering Manchester City and Manchester United. He spent four years writing about Southampton FC, two of which were at the Southern Daily Echo. Follow Dan on Twitter @dansheldonsport
